Night owl charity supporters have raised an estimated £100,000 by pounding the streets of Colchester.

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Almost 650 women took part in this year’s Midnight Walk in aid of St Helena Hospice.

The ladies completed a 12km course around the town, beginning at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

For the first time in the event’s six-year history women were also invited to run the course.

The first runner finished in 1 hour 4 minutes, with the first walker crossing the line 36 minutes later.

This year’s walk had an ‘80s theme with the women customising their pink t-shirts with a selection of thick neon socks, tutus and hot pants, while some chose song lyrics from the era as slogans for their tops.

Many of those taking part wrote personal messages on a memory board to people they were walking or running for.

Bridget Moss, director of education and research at the hospice took the warm-up while the ladies were entertained IGNITE Dance Company with ‘80s inspired routines to match the theme of the event.

Colchester Rugby Club players also provided some entertainment as “butlers in the buff” wearing cuffs, collars and trousers.

The hospice thanked Rodney Bass, county councillor for highways, for keeping street lights on through-out the night for the event instead of having them switched off in the part-night lighting scheme, and the volunteer stewards and St John Ambulance members.

Fliss Strode, events manager at St Helena Hospice, said: “Everyone looked fantastic on the night and we were overwhelmed once again by the fantastic support of our local community.

“The atmosphere was buzzing and we hope that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did.

“Thank you to all involved, from the ladies that took part and the volunteers that gave up their time, to the businesses and organisations that supported the events in their different ways.

“We can’t wait to do it again next year and we promise it will be bigger and better with lots of exciting changes.”

Among the companies who supported the event were Tesco Highwoods who donated bananas for the participants, along with a number of Colchester firms.